Doke is in the well

smurph · 29-10-2008 02:47PM

Trippie wrote: »

Hi Dara,

Oh and cash, any particular reason as to why you dont play that much of it? When you first started out and smurph was pwning you in the tourneys did you have any aspirations to be playing cash in the fitz or was it always just to play the tournaments that there is around.

lol, I don't think I ever pwned anyone at the poker table, never mind Daragh...

All I remember I got very lucky in a tournament I played against him heads up...

Anyway Dara,

few questions myself.

(a) I notice that you are exceptionally quiet at the poker table, is that a tactic to take in all the information at the table, or just that you couldn't be arsed making chit chat?

(b) was this year the first time you had gone to Vegas.

(c) did you like the experience, or find it a bit daunting....

(d) top three poker players that you would tie to a threadmill and make them run till they collapsed.

(e) top three poker players that make you want to go out a kill small animals.

(f) Does you son play cards at all. If he showed an interest would you encourage him to play?

(g) I notice that you go over the GUKPT games quite a bit, do you find them good, any recomendations for venues etc.,

Ps thanks for doing the well, it has been very very interesting.

ghostface ste · 29-10-2008 02:50PM

I remember playing a tourn with you a while back, last year i think, where we were on the same table most of the day. Question relates to your use of sunglasses while in a hand but not when you weren't. Did you not find this very distracting, putting on/removing glasses all the time? I understand that you dont use the sunglasses any more, is this purely down to being more comfortable playing or do you think (like i do) that they do not aid a poker player in any way?

Also, fair play to you on the hendon mob prop bet i read on your blog, nice run. Good read by the way...

strewelpeter · 29-10-2008 03:02PM

Good stuff Dara,

First hour of a 3 day live tournament will you take a straight race for all your chips?
Same thing in Sunday Million?

Why did you would anyone give up coding to write documentation?

Ans a few important questions for you :cool:

Laurel or Hardy?
Ziggy Stardust or the Thin WhiteDuke?
AQs UTG or J9 off On the button?
Iain Banks or Iain M Banks?
Phil – Lakk or Hellmuth?
Elvis - Costello or Presley?
Jim Bolger or Aiden O’Brien?
20/20 or 5 day test?
Ronnie Drew or Luke Kelly?

onecoolcat · 29-10-2008 10:29PM

You are an extremely motivated person. How was your relationship with your parents when you were growing up? Did you suffer from depression or anxiety at any stage? Where do you think your drive comes from? Do you consider it damaging? How do you keep your cool?

doke · 30-10-2008 02:32AM

Trippie wrote: »

Hi Dara,

I dont think we've ever had the pleasure or displeasure as some might say of meeting. From those i knwo though they couldnt speak higher of you.

Just a few quick questions.

I recently started running albeit in the hope of getting fit for rugby/life in general as opposed to marathons and the likes. I saw you mentioning that for someone starting back out they should do 3-4 miles 3-4 times a week. Is this not a bit much for someone just starting out. Should someone not be starting out with a less intensive maybe 2k-3k and gradually increasing it from there. Purely from a motivational point fo view if someone has never really ran before they are going to find it quite difficult to do 4 miles 4 times a week and therefore may not put the effort in.

First off, sorry for the delayed response. I wasn't ignoring you: just somehow missed your post before.

Do you think there has been way too much emphasis on going to the gym in order to attain that gym physique which seems to be becoming more and more popular with us younger folks. You know the guys with the huge arms etc.. In my opinion gone are the days where people just go running in their area or to the local pool for an hours swim. If you're not in the gym lifting weights then your not fit seems to be the mentality,maybe thats just me though and with who im surrounded with.

I agree. I've never been a gym person or a fan of gym culture, but I suppose anything that gets people exercising is good.

poker wise. since the poker community is quite small in ireland and dublin in particular do you think that there is a huge amount of back slapping. depending on the time of the year the best player around type threads that seem to pop up here seem to be populated by whomever had the big touch the most recently and who is the flavour of the week. You yourself have a reputation of being an excellent player which is well deserved by all accounts but you talked about playing the deepstack festival and reading about it here on boards. If i remember correctly you werent exactly considered to be a factor at the particular time just some "old guy who was running like god".(sorry if that comes across bad)

TBH it would be perfectly understandable if that were the viewpoint at the time. I had no track record outside the Fitz, was playing in only my second big tournament, and most of my early chiplead came as a result of one massive call that was very marginal, and one bad call with an overpair v. top two where I sucked out. Plus people only saw the cards and hands I was turning over which were all big and didn't necessarily realise I might not have had it all other times I bet and didn't get called.

So whats my question eh....im not too sure now perhaps its two fold firstly do you think we celebrate mediocrity far too easy as the majority players I have come across are terrible but unlike the equally terrible english people we irish have an aggression which masks over our lack of fundamental knowledge. We are aggressive in spots without knowing why we should be.

I think good players celebrate other good players, and mediocre players celebrate other mediocre players who are the same type of mediocre as them but are successful for whatever reason. Since there are more mediocre players around than good ones, it's perhaps inevitable the mediocre will always be more celebrated. Much the same reason why Paris Hilton and the Spice Girls are more celebrated than Bic Runga.

Secondly would you have prefferred to not have "come out of the closet" so to speak here on boards. If you could go back to being that unknown person in tourneys would you?

No. I enjoy it when boardsies introduce themselves and I enjoy the social dimension of poker.

Do you think it has had a negative or positive effect on how you're perceived at the table?

A bit of both. One of the things I enjoy most about poker is the challenge of not only reading your opponents but also figuring out what their read on you is at any given point in time and how that might affect their play.

Oh and cash, any particular reason as to why you dont play that much of it? When you first started out and smurph was pwning you in the tourneys did you have any aspirations to be playing cash in the fitz or was it always just to play the tournaments that there is around.

Tournaments just interested me more, even though at that stage, online, I was almost exclusively a cash game player.

In my opinion i think the reason a lot of people dont take to cash games is because they see them as something to do after busting out of a tournament thus meaning they are taking the negativity of being knocked out of the tourny to the cash game resulting in a less than desireable attitude to it. Would you ever consider going to a festival and just solely focussing on playing cash?

Interesting point and perhaps the reason I've never taken to live cash is at least partly because I generally only do it after busting out of a tournament.

I would consider going to a festival just for cash but I'd find it very hard not to get waylaid into the tournament.

Thanks for the questions.

doke · 30-10-2008 02:44AM

YULETIRED wrote: »

One final question.....I've had a lot of problems with my toenails and feet etc when hill climbing and running in the past. I link it back to a barefoot sport I used to do, but can you tell me (apart from the correct shoes) what is the best way to combat the various foot issues you get when walking/running long distances....blisters etc.

Proper sports socks (not replicas designed to make you look like a scanger out on the town). I also find rubbing vaseline on the spots most likely to blister beforehand helps.

And a linked Q. I would have thought that feet issues are the primary problem facing long distances runners, is this correct?

In competition, certainly. Almost everybody's feet swell up to the point they need bigger shoes, their toenails pop off etc. etc. I finished my 24 hour race in shoes one size bigger than my normal size, and they were a tight fit by the end.

My international teammate Marty Rea told me that since he started running his "normal" foot size has grown by two sizes.

why are you ignoring trippie? Is is becuase he is white? or have you figured out his question yet? :-)

Trippie is white? Damn, I wish you'd told me before I answered him. I hate you crackers.

doke · 30-10-2008 03:06AM

smurph wrote: »

lol, I don't think I ever pwned anyone at the poker table, never mind Daragh...

All I remember I got very lucky in a tournament I played against him heads up...

Nope. I was pwned.

Anyway Dara,

few questions myself.

(a) I notice that you are exceptionally quiet at the poker table, is that a tactic to take in all the information at the table, or just that you couldn't be arsed making chit chat?

Partly a tactic, but mainly just because the social part of my brain just doesn't seem to work when I'm concentrating on the game.

(b) was this year the first time you had gone to Vegas.

Yes.

(c) did you like the experience, or find it a bit daunting....

Liked it immensely even though I ran worse than I've ever run.

(d) top three poker players that you would tie to a threadmill and make them run till they collapsed.

The guy who slowrolled the young Scandi at my table at the IWF, the guy who crippled me in the world series calling on the flop with an underpair to my top 2, and my English mate Mark Dalimore purely for my own amusement purposes to see if he'd keep talking even while he was collapsing.

(e) top three poker players that make you want to go out a kill small animals.

Jamie Gold, Tiffany Michelle and Tony G.

(f) Does you son play cards at all. If he showed an interest would you encourage him to play?

I brought him to the Fitz one Wednesday night. He doubled up early with aces, refused to rebuy or add on, and then allowed himself to be blinded away. I'd encourage him if I thought he'd actually enjoy it. He's a much nicer gentler soul than I am so he's always rooting for the other guy and seems to regard bluffing as a particularly immoral form of stealing.

(g) I notice that you go over the GUKPT games quite a bit, do you find them good, any recomendations for venues etc.,

I find them very good. Great structure, well organised, and loads of really bad English players. You have to adjust your game for the different type of game they play over there.

Of the three I played, Manchester was an unfriendly kip, Newcastle was very nice and friendly, and Luton was ok.

Thanks for the questions smurph.

thechamp87 · 30-10-2008 03:13AM

Good read so far Dara, thanks.

I know it has been mentioned already but you come across as very quiet and focused at the table, almost to the point where people mightn't start conversation with you as they feel you don't want to - are you just as happy chatting away as you are just quietly observing the action or do you prefer being left alone?

Do you think that the image that your focus and quiet nature at the table conveys has a small or large affect on how people tend to perceive your game? I like to talk at the table for various reasons; it keeps me interested, I find it interesting and also if I am always chatting etc people get this impression that I am loose and a bit aggro which I play off. Basically do you think in the bigger Irish tournaments, that your demeanor at the table has a large or small effect on how your game is perceived by the players in these fields?

As far as I know you have only been playing seriously for <18 months. Within that time you have had great success. Even though I'm only 21, I think I have been playing the game (semi) seriously for longer, though I could be wrong. I have had some successes and some decent results. I still feel that I have not had a good, big result and feel it is just around the corner. I have been consistent in recent tournaments and feel I am doing most things right, but just can't win that race or hold in the big pot that matters. Was there any stage over the last 18 months that you thought, "Jesus, am I ever going to go deep in a tournament again" or has it always been relatively "painless"?

As with any game or sport with such competitive competition, jealousy is to be expected between participants. Honestly, would you ever think to yourself after seeing the winner of a tournament you had played, "Fk me, I can't believe that donkey won, I should have won it if he did" etc, or are you always happy to see people do well in the game, no matter how good or bad they are?

These days, both live and online poker is predominantly occupied by young players. The fact that you are so physically fit from the running must give you a mental stamina that the majority of young players don't possess. This is obviously essential for tournaments, and I'm sure it is partly attributable to some of your success. Knowing that you can keep up with the young guns for, presumably, years to come, what are your goals for, say, the next five years? Do you want to retire early from your business and play most of the EPTs and GUKPTs? Do you aspire to play 200/400 online or are you happy to stay in your comfort zone and play mid stakes cash, the Irish calender and the odd GUKPT event? Personally if I decide to pursue the game when I finish my degree, I want to be playing EPTs and high stakes cash but each to their own I guess. If you are happy to stay at the level you are at then why do you think that is?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long questions.

Cheers,
Adam

doke · 30-10-2008 03:14AM

ghostface ste wrote: »

I remember playing a tourn with you a while back, last year i think,

I think we played at the same table in the big Fitz game around May/June.

where we were on the same table most of the day. Question relates to your use of sunglasses while in a hand but not when you weren't. Did you not find this very distracting, putting on/removing glasses all the time?

No, it was just part of my ritual at the time and I did it without thinking.

I understand that you dont use the sunglasses any more, is this purely down to being more comfortable playing or do you think (like i do) that they do not aid a poker player in any way?

I lost them in Vegas (along with a lot of other things) and just didn't bother replacing them. I might wear them at some future point. Actually brought a new pair with me to the IWF at the weekend with the intention of wearing them if I ran into any players I felt might be able to get eye tells of me, but never got round to wearing them.

I think they can help in certain circumstances. First, they project a slightly intimidating table image and make it less likely people will try to talk to you and if that fits in with the general image you're going for, it can help. Second, they prevent others from reading any eye tells you might have, and they make it less obvious that you're staring at them looking for a read if you are.

However, I'd agree that 99% of the time, they make sod all difference.

Also, fair play to you on the hendon mob prop bet i read on your blog, nice run. Good read by the way...

Thank you. Mad bet in retrospect, but not for the first time in my life I got lucky.

doke · 30-10-2008 03:27AM

strewelpeter wrote: »

Good stuff Dara,

First hour of a 3 day live tournament will you take a straight race for all your chips?

A pure 50/50? No. I wouldn't mind lumping my chips in first though even if I was sure I'd be 50/50 if called so long as I thought I had even a smidgin of fold equity.

I'd take JJ or QQ v AK though.

Same thing in Sunday Million?

I might take a 50/50 in the Sunday Million. It would depend on other factors like whether I thought the table was soft or not.

Why did you would anyone give up coding to write documentation?

English is more fun to write than COBOL.

Ans a few important questions for you :cool:

Laurel or Hardy?

Laurel. Nervous skinny people always appeal to me for some reason.

Ziggy Stardust or the Thin WhiteDuke?

Thin White Duke, throwing darts in lovers' eyes.

AQs UTG or J9 off On the button?

AQs utg.

Iain Banks or Iain M Banks?

Nice one. Iain M Banks.

Phil – Lakk or Hellmuth?

Laak as company, Hellmuth as a player.

Elvis - Costello or Presley?

Costello by a country mile.

Jim Bolger or Aiden O’Brien?

Jim.

20/20 or 5 day test?

5 day test.

Ronnie Drew or Luke Kelly?

Luke.

Thanks for these very interesting questions.

doke · 30-10-2008 03:34AM

onecoolcat wrote: »

You are an extremely motivated person. How was your relationship with your parents when you were growing up?

Reasonably typical, I'd say.

Did you suffer from depression or anxiety at any stage?

Late teens I was pretty depressed. Since then I've been stupidly happy.

Where do you think your drive comes from?

I think it's innate. I'm just naturally driven/competitive.

Do you consider it damaging?

No. I think it's lead me to achieve a lot of things I'd never have imagined possible and the feeling of having accomplished the things I wanted most in life have made me a happier person than I would be otherwise, even if at times the drive has led to short term pain and some ridiculous behaviour.

How do you keep your cool?

I remind myself that I'm just one relatively insignificant person not to be taken very seriously, least of all by myself.

Thank you for the questions.

doke · 30-10-2008 11:03AM

thechamp87 wrote: »

Good read so far Dara, thanks.

I know it has been mentioned already but you come across as very quiet and focused at the table, almost to the point where people mightn't start conversation with you as they feel you don't want to - are you just as happy chatting away as you are just quietly observing the action or do you prefer being left alone?

I like talking to people I like, which to be honest is the vast majority of people. But when I'm in the middle of a game I'm the world's worst conversationalist, bar none.

Do you think that the image that your focus and quiet nature at the table conveys has a small or large affect on how people tend to perceive your game? I like to talk at the table for various reasons; it keeps me interested, I find it interesting and also if I am always chatting etc people get this impression that I am loose and a bit aggro which I play off. Basically do you think in the bigger Irish tournaments, that your demeanor at the table has a large or small effect on how your game is perceived by the players in these fields?

It has a large effect in my opinion. I'm perceived to be a lot tighter and more nittish and passive than I actually am.

As far as I know you have only been playing seriously for <18 months.

I only learned the game 18 months ago, and have really only been playing it seriously since the start of this year.

Within that time you have had great success. Even though I'm only 21, I think I have been playing the game (semi) seriously for longer, though I could be wrong. I have had some successes and some decent results. I still feel that I have not had a good, big result and feel it is just around the corner. I have been consistent in recent tournaments and feel I am doing most things right, but just can't win that race or hold in the big pot that matters. Was there any stage over the last 18 months that you thought, "Jesus, am I ever going to go deep in a tournament again" or has it always been relatively "painless"?

Since I won the second major tournament I entered I can't really complain, and I know Nicky Power in particular takes the piss out of me remorselessly for brooding if I go a few weeks without a result.

However, there was a bad period immediately after Drogheda up until JP's Irish Masters in the Red Cow where I was starting to question if I'd ever get another result or if I was just the Jamie Gold of Irish poker.

When you're competitive, every tournament you fail to win is a disappointment, and lately I've been frustrated by getting into position a number of times but not kicking on for another win or at least another big cash.

As with any game or sport with such competitive competition, jealousy is to be expected between participants. Honestly, would you ever think to yourself after seeing the winner of a tournament you had played, "Fk me, I can't believe that donkey won, I should have won it if he did" etc, or are you always happy to see people do well in the game, no matter how good or bad they are?

I don't think I feel personally jealous of other players who are successful, but I do know that I much prefer to see a player I rate winning a tournament than someone I don't rate. I was thrilled for Rob Taylor in Cork, for example, as he's someone I really rate and admire as a player, and also Pete Murphy's immense achievement in making two consecutive major final tables.

These days, both live and online poker is predominantly occupied by young players. The fact that you are so physically fit from the running must give you a mental stamina that the majority of young players don't possess. This is obviously essential for tournaments, and I'm sure it is partly attributable to some of your success. Knowing that you can keep up with the young guns for, presumably, years to come, what are your goals for, say, the next five years? Do you want to retire early from your business and play most of the EPTs and GUKPTs? Do you aspire to play 200/400 online or are you happy to stay in your comfort zone and play mid stakes cash, the Irish calender and the odd GUKPT event? Personally if I decide to pursue the game when I finish my degree, I want to be playing EPTs and high stakes cash but each to their own I guess. If you are happy to stay at the level you are at then why do you think that is?

Originally the plan was to retire from both the business and running at the age of 49. Knowing that I'm intensely competitive I figured I'd need something to channel that into in my 50s and 60s and I chose poker for that reason. I hoped to become good enough over the next 5-6 years to be in a position to start doing it seriously at 49, and then see how far I could go with it.

Things happened for me a lot faster than I expected so I'm currently in the process of retiring from the business to concentrate fully on poker (and running for the next few years). As such, for the moment, I'm happy to play the Irish calendar and the GUKPT events and the WSOP and maybe an EPT or two, but ultimately I want to get to the stage where I can concentrate fully on the biggest tournaments. I'm never happy staying in my comfort zone and past experience of previous compulsions and interests suggest I'll lose interest in poker only once I've decided in my own mind I've achieved all I can possibly achieve as a poker player, but once I do decide that, I'll give up poker completely.

I have no ambition to play 200/400 though: since I got hooked on tournaments I just can't work up the enthusiasm to play cash for long hours.

Thanks for the interesting questions Adam. As I've said on my blog once or twice, I genuinely believe you're a future poker superstar, and you're already one of the best 10 or so tournament players in Ireland.

The Tourist · 30-10-2008 01:52PM

Hi doke,

doke wrote: »

I find them very good. Great structure, well organised, and loads of really bad English players. You have to adjust your game for the different type of game they play over there.

Interesting ... care to elaborate?

doke wrote: »

I eventually drifted into correspondence chess.

A great game. Let me know if you (or anyone) fancies a game online sometime.

thechamp87 · 30-10-2008 02:11PM

Thanks for the replies, Dara. See you soon I'm sure.

doke · 30-10-2008 02:15PM

The Tourist wrote: »

Hi doke,

Interesting ... care to elaborate?

In Irish tourneys the bad players are mostly hyper aggros (nothing wrong with the hyper aggro style in itself of course, only when it's done badly), whereas in the UK there are more weak tights and high blind limpers about. Bad players in the UK are less likely to bluff or play back without a hand, whereas in Ireland it may be plus EV to call down bad players even if you only beat a bluff because most players bluff way more than optimal frequency.

In the UK, if you establish a tight image early, you can get away with murder later on. It'll take the bad players ages to figure out you've switched gears, almost certainly longer than the time you'll be at the same table. So basically call and bluff less than you would in Ireland, and play looser once you've established the right image, and in particular look to abuse the bubble if you make it that far.

Conversely, a good LAG might do very well in the UK by abusing people's tightness and passivity from the start.

Doke is in the well

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